Star Trek: Divided Loyalties
by avintagerose
Summary: Lieutenant Commander Tyler Jordan has a reputation for coming back from suicide missions. However, when Starfleet Intelligence Director Corbin Hanley gives him a new type of assignment, he can't help but feel a little intimidated.


_Author Note: Hello everyone. This is my first Star Trek fic ever, believe it or not. Yeah, I was raised on this stuff, but I've never really had an idea for a fic that I really felt was worth a crap until now. I would appreciate it if you would leave a review. Thank you, and enjoy! _

**_Star Trek: Divided Loyalties_**

"Are you sure you want Lieutenant Commander Jordan for the job?" Admiral Steele asked, setting the PADD down on his desk and leaning back in his chair. Chief Intelligence Director Corbin Hanley pondered for a moment as he sat across from the admiral. "I can't think of anyone better for the job. Lieutenant Commander Tyler Jordan is an experienced officer and a talented operative."

"Face it, Corbin. The man's either insane or he's got a strong death wish. He _asks_ for suicide missions, for heaven's sake!"

Hanley leaned forward and smiled. "And yet he comes back every time. In his fifteen years working for Starfleet Intelligence, he's only lost two officers in the line of duty. You have to admit, it's an impressive track record."

"To say the least," Steele agreed, nodding his head thoughtfully. After a moment, he stood up and handed the PADD back to Hanley. "Alright, Corbin. If you think Jordan's your man, then who am I to stop you?"

Hanley took the PADD back and nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Admiral." He and Steel shook hands, and Hanley turned to leave.

"Good luck, Corbin. I hope for your sake that the Lieutenant Commander can perform this mission."

Hanley smiled. "I don't believe Jordan will let either of us down, Admiral.

* * *

It was 21:00, and Lieutenant Commander Tyler Jordan was just about to head back to his quarters after a very long day of monitoring reports of the Cardassian and Romulan borders. He had a lot on his mind, today more than most other days. He had received a report from a fairly reliable source which indicated that the Obsidian Order was up and running again, and that it had been since shortly before the end of the Dominion War. Seven years had passed since the day Cardassia signed its surrender, but it was hard for Jordan to move on. He'd lost too many friends in that war. Exhausted, he rubbed his forehead, trying to get rid of the headache he'd had since 14:00. He was about to tell the computer to turn off the lights when the door to his office chimed. Jordan sighed. His day had been long enough without a last-minute visitor. "Come in." 

To his surprise, Director Corbin Hanley walked in and handed him a PADD. "I have new orders for you, Commander."

"It can't wait for tomorrow, sir?"

"Well, I suppose it could, but you'd be up all night wondering what I came by so late to talk about."

Jordan thought for a minute, then nodded reluctantly. "You know me too well, sir." He took the PADD and began looking it over. "What is this?"

"It's your new team. Admiral Steele and I have a mission we want you to perform."

Jordan looked over the files on the PADD a second time to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Sir, this team..."

"They're a motley crew, aren't they?"

"It's not just that." He put the PADD down on his desk. "Sir, why would you give me a team that you _know_ I can't trust?"

Hanley smiled. "Because _you_ know you can't trust them. Read the list aloud and tell me what you think of each of them."

Tyler reluctantly picked up the PADD again. "Well, first and most obviously is this Romulan pilot."

"T'Shial's file _says_ she's a Vulcan," Hanley replied, his smile fading slightly.

"Too many inconsistencies. She claims to follow the path of logic, but anyone can see from her service record that she violates that time and again. And the most glaring part of it all is that she refuses to mindmeld. Either she can't, or she's afraid that someone will find something out. In any case, it's distinctly un-Vulcan."

The Director nodded approvingly. "We've actually known for some time that she isn't who she claims to be. She's been feeding the Tal'Shiar information that we've made sure is false," he said. "The real question is... does _she_ know that it's false?"

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"If it were just a question of her being an operative, we would simply remove her. But she's made her identity altogether too easy to ascertain. It's sloppy for any operative, but for a Tal'Shiar operative, it's downright unheard of."

"So her loyalty to Romulus is in question?" Jordan asked, a bit intrigued.

"The Romulans ensure loyalty with fear, and the re-Unification movement on Romulus is gaining ground again. We believe T'Shial may be part of that movement. In any case, it's your task to find out."

"This certainly won't be the easiest assignment I've ever accepted," Tyler said, looking back down at the PADD.

"What do you make of Dr. Sullivan?"

Tyler studied the PADD for a moment. "Presumed dead in a Dominion attack on her father's cargo ship, then she suddenly reappears five years later, the only survivor from that attack... with a degree in cosmetic surgery, no less?" He looked up at Hanley and said, "It's too convenient. Someone else has clearly taken up this Chelsea Sullivan's identity."

"We've never trusted Sullivan, but we can't prove anything, and as far as we can tell, she's been a reliable operative," Hanley said. "What do you make of the last name on the list?"

Tyler skipped down past a fairly innocuous-looking officer named Kyori Tsukaya and found himself staring at the face of a Cardassian. "Torin Naret, tactical officer. Formerly Gul Naret of Central Command. Suspected to be a former Obsidian Order operative?" He looked up at the Director in surprise. "I thought Elim Garak was the only Cardassian defector."

"There have been others, from time to time. We've had informants in the Cardassian ranks now and again, especially during the Dominion War, when they felt that letting the Federation win the war would be best for Cardassia. But we haven't had any Cardie defectors for some time now, and we haven't needed them. Since the Dominion's little holocaust order, Cardassia has been struggling to rebuild. We can't even see what possible benefit this man's position would offer Cardassia. After all, the new Obsidian Order is hardly a threat to anyone. From what we've heard, they've barely got even five operatives. And, obviously, their internal security measures aren't the most thorough in the quadrant," Hanley said.

"So you want me to figure out why this guy would come over to our side, and what he stands to gain by betraying us."

"Exactly."

"What about my communications officer, Lieutenant Tsukaya? I was under the impression he was the straight arrow type."

"Well, sort of... Tsukaya is a suspected Section 31 operative. You probably don't have to worry about betrayal on his part, but you will have to watch him to make sure he doesn't go too far from time to time."

"Good to know," Jordan replied. "Question: Am I actually taking this team on missions?"

"That's what teams are for, aren't they?" the Director answered, turning to head for the door. "Besides, Ty, if we didn't send you on missions, your team members would immediately figure out what's going on. As it is, keeping the truth from them is going to be difficult enough." He opened the door, turning back as he passed through. "I don't envy you your mission, Commander, but for what it's worth, good luck."

"Thank you, sir."


End file.
